Incinerate
by xxgrrl
Summary: Raven had always been a quiet person who enjoyed the company of her books and tea. Racing and automobiles didn't seem to fit into that equation. However, she soon realizes that living in that quiet corner is not the way to live at all. (Robrae/ Raex)
1. Chapter 1

_Incinerate_

x/

The instruments all kick in at once.

_Ripped your heart out from your chest. Replaces it with a grenade blast._

Oddly enough, each curve and turn and gripping of the wheel synchronized well with the song playing. The window was down and a harsh breeze continually slapped onto your face, but this particular driver did not mind. Her mouth was set into a thin line, whether of content or disavowal- only she knew. For her face was imperturbable as always, her cheeks were the lightest shade of pink due to the weather and her pale hands twisted and turned the car's steering wheel expertly. The odd plum color of her eyes remained focused but somewhere in a small corner you could see the light sparkle in them. She occasionally tapped her hands in sync with the song and when it was done, she reached out with one hand her cell phone to check the time.

An hour and a half later, she turned on the last curve of her drive to Jump City. The broad road narrowed inch by inch as she drove straight into the toll both to the city. As she drew closer to the border and the traffic, she gradually slowed down. The air pressure was muted down into a soft whisper against her skin and most of her hair remained still. Slightly dazed and tired from her 2- day drive, the pale woman made quick of parking her car into a rather spacious garage, grabbed her bags from the back of the car and swiftly climbed up the basement stairs and straight to her room where she dropped her bags on the floor, took of her pants and dropped down the bed already fast asleep.

/

**"Raven!** _Raaave-n. _Yo Dark Girl, get up. I know you got home late last night, so I made your favorite!"

A loud male voice boomed behind her door accompanied with loud knocks. When she still did not answer, the man eventually left her alone, his loud footsteps echoing away.

Raven moaned into her pillow, wanting to sleep some more but eventually gave in to the sunlight burning her closed eyes into raisins, and the sweet smell of waffles making her stomach complain. After getting up and taking a shower, she dressed herself and combed her hair. Now, she was walking down the hall to the kitchen/ bar which was also connected to the common room. Before she could take three steps in to the area, she was drowned in a bone-crushing hug. The person eventually let go, letting Raven breathe.

"Oh, friend Raven! I am so glad you are back! I have missed your company around the tower."

"I missed you too, Kori."

Seeming pleased of the pale woman's response, Kori smiled brightly before skipping back into the kitchen area where she announced she was making celebratory smoothies for everybody. Raven could not help but smile. No matter how much Kori annoyed Raven; she was still one of her closest friends whom she considered her family.

"I see you finally got your ass up."

A tall, dark-skinned, well-built man addressed her. He dropped his spatula on the kitchen counter and went over to give her another big hug. Though his only lasted a few seconds.

"Glad to have you back, Rae. These guys are driving me crazy."

"Thanks, Cy."

Before Cyborg could utter another word, another voice interrupted their conversation.

"_Hey, what's that suppose to mean? _Oh. Hey, welcome back dude!"

Before the petite woman could be involved in another hug, she swiftly evaded Garfield's hug, to which he responded with an awkward laugh.

The four of them settled down into the counter top to have their breakfast. Raven finished her second waffle and got up to make another cup of tea when another person walked in.

"Hey Karen."

"Raven! Welcome back, girl."

The two women gave each other brief hugs before Karen settled down in an empty stool at the counter, joining the meal and conversation.

"So dude, how was your trip?"

Raven shrugged in a non-committed manner and poured tea into her cup. All of them turned their attention towards the plum-haired woman. She walked back to her seat, tea in her hands while another question was thrown at her.

"Yeah. How's Arella?"

"She's okay. Apparently, she's dating someone knew."

"Is this person she is apparently dating, an "okay" person?"

Kori quipped, her eyes big and curious. Raven sipped at her tea.

"He's ok, I suppose. He was kind enough, and mother seems happy. So I'm ok with it."

Kori nodded her head in understanding and went back to eating. Garfield swallowed a mouthful of his food and then pointed the fork at Raven's direction while he spoke.

"So what'd you actually _do_ there? Meet anyone new?"

He asked, with a wiggle in his eyebrows which indicated that he was teasing. Kori giggled, while Karen and Cyborg snorted. The woman in question simply rolled her eyes at her friend's antics and set her cup down.

"Spent time with my mum, finished the book I brought with me, and I got to catch up with some old friends."

"You _read_ on your vacation? Dude, why would you even waste your time on that when you could be having a ton of fun! I know _I_ never wasted my time reading when I was out on summer break from high school."

Raven glared at him and was about to deliver a sarcastic remark when Cyborg cleared his throat to stop an oncoming argument. It was much too early to be bickering, especially since Raven had just returned.

"Alright guys, since our little Rae-Rae just got back in the city, Karen and I decided to close the shop early today and check out that new rooftop night lounge that opened downtown for a little get together. What do you guys think?"

"_Hell yes!"_

"Oh, that sounds glorious!"

Karen and Cyborg looked at each other with smiles on their faces at the expected reaction from the two, and then turned to face Raven.

"You up for it, Rae?"

"Sure."

/

Raven grunted, oil stains on her cheek and some on her forehead. She had been in the garage all day since they had breakfast. She knew she had some tweaking to do on her cars before she took one out later on that night. Thankfully, years of spending her days and nights with Cyborg and the rest of the crew made her an expert in cleaning, and fixing cars and motorcycles. Her favorite car so far in her personal collection was her Corvette Stingray. Painted matte black, slick and classic; it suited her perfectly. She had won the car from an impromptu drag race with a neighboring crew's racer named Speedy. Raven snickered at the irony of his name. No matter how much she found the guy irritating, she had to admit- he had exquisite taste in cars. Although a fool nonetheless, for betting such a beautiful car.

After tightening a loose screw, she rolled out from under one of her cars using one of Garfield's old skateboards. She wiped at her face using a towel and got up.

"Hands up, girl."

Raven caught the soda Karen threw and opened the can.

"You almost done? We're closing the shop in a few minutes so we can leave early. You… need any help?"

"No, that's ok. I just finished the last car and I was actually about to head upstairs and shower."

"Alright then."

Raven nodded her head but Karen failed to notice since she had already begun to walk back to the front where their shop was located. The pale woman headed to her room and showered. Then deciding to dress casually in a plain mid-length black dress with her favorite leather jacket and platform boots and walked into the common room where the rest were.

"So dude, who's driving who?"

"Not yet, Gar. Kori isn't here yet."

"I'll go get her."

Garfield began to jog towards the hallways when the door swished open and Kori walked in.

"There will be no need of the getting, I am ready friends! Also… I wish to ride with friend Raven for tonight. I wish to be in her company, if it is ok, Raven?"

"I don't mind, Kori."

"Alright, Karen and I are driving together in my _Jag_, Raven and Kori are driving in whichever car Raven decides on using, and-"

"I'll go by myself on my moped, dude."

/

Raven sipped at her second cocktail that night. They had arrived two hours ago and they had been eating and chatting until, a live band arrived, and everyone decided to dance.

The petite woman remained seated at their secluded booth, observing the people in the area. A few people were obviously buzzed and Raven could see some people taking advantage of that vulnerability. The place in itself was not that bad, she mused. It would seem like her surrogate older brother had researched on the place to make sure she would feel comfortable and actually like it. _Well, his scheming paid off._ The walls were painted beautiful light to dark gradients with modern wall lamps attached. The bar was illuminated with a cool shade of blue to give it a glow and the floor was tiled with dark marble to keep the place cool. Their booth was shielded with heavy drapes and curtains making it semi-private, and the chairs and table were made from oak which were decorated with intricate Asian influenced designs. Behind her on the wall, a large painting from the Surrealist movement was mounted. Raven assumed that all the booths had similar paintings on their walls. _Not bad, Cyborg. The menu did say they serve tea…_

Picking on a topping on her pizza slice, she failed to notice a man approach her. The man sneakily glided into the chair in front of her, but failed to catch her in surprise when she turned to look at him with her eyebrow raised as he was sitting down.

/x

**A/N:** Thanks for reading! As you can already tell, this is an AU fic. I got the idea from the old show wherein Raven helps Cyborg out in the garage.

Btw, I don't know if any of you guys heard but I read in an article on how they're planning on creating a Titans live-action show. The confirmed characters were Nightwing, Raven and Starfire. It's still all in wraps though and focuses on the team in their early adult years (hence the dropping of the word teen in the title). I do hope they go through with it though, they did state there could be crossovers with already existing shows such as Arrow, Constantine, and etc.

Anyway, reviews are appreciated.

**/**


	2. Chapter 2

Incinerate

II

/

"Sorry to invite myself over, but it seems like you need the company."

"I don't need _your_ company; I'm with my friends. But you know what they say, no company is better than bad."

"Is that what they say now?" He tried to say in a conversational manner, leaning into her to show his interest. Raven merely shrugged and sipped at her drink for the fourth time since she ordered it.

"And what would you consider 'good' company?"

"My idea of good company, _Todd_, is the company of clever, well-informed people who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company."

"I believe you are mistaken, _Roth._" He responded gently, and leaned back into the seat. His hand was already signaling for a menu from one of the waiters. Raven raised her brow once more, looking up at him from her drink.

"And, how so?"

"That is not merely _good_ company. I believe that it is the _best_."

The waiter arrived and handed him a menu before promptly walking away to give him time to think about his order. Raven delicately snorted, downing down the last of her drink.

"_Austen, Todd? _Really?"

"Let me remind you, Roth, that _you_ started it." Jason Todd responded a playful glint in his eyes, as he called back the waiter to place his order. Raven's face remained passive, but the same faint spark was present in her eyes.

"I'll have a chilled bottle of Pinot Noir and two glasses."

The waiter quickly took note of the order and scampered off, leaving the two alone. At the same moment, the band started to play the introduction to their next song which effectively lulled the dull silence that started to permeate.

"I heard you just got back."

"And where did you hear this, if I may ask." Raven replied in monotone, to which Jason smiled. It was one of Raven's weirdly endearing qualities- making sentences of inquiry sound like demands.

"Speedy still bawls uncontrollably whenever he hears his Stingray drive past the shop."

Raven could not help but laugh. Jason smiled appreciatively at her display of emotion, then, politely thanked the waiter for bringing their order and opening the bottle of wine for them. The rather elderly waiter poured an appropriate amount of wine in both their goblets, which were also meticulously designed to match the furniture and décor of the place before walking off to another table.

"That's a nice leather jacket you've got there." Jason said his eyes on the dark colored clothing which was dangling from the back of Raven's seat.

"Of course, it is _mine_, after all."

"I was under the impression that you had given it to me that time I was cold at the carnival." Jason wore a look of curiosity that did not go unnoticed by Raven, who lightly sipped at her wine. The liquid was already starting to warm up her cheeks, and she felt it more than she saw.

"And you have worn it ever since? All the way from your trip to Gotham and back?" Raven shrugged indifferently. Jason kept a straight face, but his eyes remained focused on her.

"Does it make a difference if I have been?"

"You tell me."

Raven chose not to answer him; and instead brought all of her attention to her drink and when that was all gone, she carefully set it upon the table and shifted her position on the rather comfy chair so that her head was looking straight at the direction of the stage where the band continued to play. She felt his eyes on her and faked her interest of the band's performance and continued to look on, avoiding the intensity of his gaze.

Jason mentally sighed and poured her another serving of the wine. He had known Raven for years and could read her like a book most of the time, but found it impossible when she was determined. Still, he felt a strange feeling of pride and happiness, knowing that Raven had indeed been wearing his leather jacket a lot. Where these unfamiliar feelings stemmed from, though? He himself did not know. Just that, it had been a reoccurring thing going on in his head for a few months now. Jason did not know what was to come of it or what it all meant, deciding instead to shove the thoughts to the back of his mind. After all, his life was complicated enough. Over thinking will only add more burdens on his shoulders.

With his mind wandering, he barely noticed when Raven got up and collected the jacket from the seat. The leather dragging on the smooth wood. He looked up at her, empty glass in one hand.

"Up for a ride?"

/

Raven's foot did not let up on the accelerator pedal, other foot just resting on the brake. Her hands remained at the steering wheel, the driver's window opened up halfway so she could feel the wind as she drove past at an inhumane speed. Casually adjusting the rear view mirror, she easily spotted Jason on his Icon Sheene motorcycle jut a few feet behind her car. Grinning slightly, she put more force on the accelerator pedal and increased her speed.

Jason grunted and quickly increased his speed as well, hand gripping the bike's throttle tightly. He already knew where Raven was leading him to; they had been there countless times. Sometimes just them, other times with the others. Yet, his ego pushed him to keep up with her car, despite knowing his motorcycle barely had the capacity to. Raven knew this and rolled her eyes. _Typical Jason._

The road slowly escalated, and become more challenging with both of them stubbornly maintaining their speed. They passed by tall trees and a lot of forestry on either side of the road. It became colder as they both neared the top of the mountain. When they were near, Raven slowly decreased her speed and Jason did the same. He smoothly parked his motorcycle beside Raven's car, and placed his helmet on the leather seat.

Raven got out from the driver's seat, the unfinished bottle of wine in one hand. Jason smiled and took the bottle from her hand, motioning for her to go sit with him on the edge of the cliff. They had parked on one of their favorite spots, sitting near the top of the mountain. It was basically a small clearing and the trees were stained with tags and graffiti with some empty beer bottles and cans scattered about the grass, but its redeeming quality was the awe-inspiring view of the city below them. Raven had forgotten the leather jacket inside her car and felt too lazy to get up and retrieve it, braving the cold wind instead. She scooted closer to where Jason was sitting beside her, who did not mind the lack of space between them. He reopened the bottle of wine from the night lounge.

"We didn't bring a cup with us." Jason shrugged, carelessly tossing the bottle cap to the forest below.

"So, we'll take turns drinking from the bottle, Rae. It's not like we haven't done that at least once before." He took a long swig of the now warm liquid and handed it to Raven, who reluctantly received the bottle. She took a small sip, and then gulped down a generous amount of it when she found that it helped made her feel warm. She handed the bottle back to him, his hand making contact with hers as he took it back. Raven shivered at the contact, despite his hand being warm over her cold one.

"Won't your friends be looking for you?"

"I'm not too worried about that. I think Garfield saw us sitting together. I brought my phone with me, anyway."

"Ah, the moped-driving douche."

Raven glared at him. It was true that she disliked Garfield to a certain degree due to him constantly annoying her, but he was still her friend.

"What?" Raven's glare did not waver. Jason awkwardly laughed and looked away.

"Kidding, Rae."

"Right."

"You know, I've always loved that righteous temper of yours. You're truly a complex character, Roth. I'll tell you that."

"What the hell are you implying, Todd?"

"You outwardly express your irritation for the grass stain and yet when another does; you simply turn livid. That in itself is so contradicting of your actions that you give off the impression that there is so much more to you than what meets the eye." Jason stated in a matter of fact manner, handing the bottle back to her. Raven clapped her hands together in a slow beat.

"Thank you so much for the psychoanalysis, Doctor Freud. I am truly honored to have every single detail of my personality examined under a microscope."

Jason glared at her, the sarcasm just dripping from her tone. He was met with a teasing smirk from Raven and matched that with a delightful leer of his own.

"I never knew you were such a comedian, Roth."

"But _I_ always knew you were such easy prey."

"Oh?" Both had been edging closer towards each other in their conversation without realizing it, but with the mouthing of Jason's response they were both suddenly made aware their close proximity. Neither of them budged.

"Am I, really?"

"_You _tell me." Her response was teasing and playful in her raspy voice, quoting his exact words to her earlier that night. Jason inched closer, his lips a mere centimeter from touching the delicate skin of her neck. Still, Raven did not retreat.

"Oh, I would love to elaborate on that, Raven. But we both know the real question is, whether or not you want hear it." Jason's lips barely brushed at a spot on her neck, his hot breath causing goose bumps to erupt on her arms. Her eyelids dropped midway, a mixture of excitement and something unfamiliar bubbling at the bottom of her stomach, but her hands remained passive on her lap and her posture the same. The stubbornness of the two was truly admirable.

"I asked, didn't I?" For some reason, her throaty response against his ear tugged at his heartstrings. He suddenly found his throat to be dry, as if he had not drank anything for hours. But the empty wine bottle on the ground beside Raven proved that theory wrong.

"And when I ask, Todd. I expect a response."

Her hand had somehow found itself on his knee. It was an innocent gesture; physical interaction common between both of them, but it ignited something in him. His eyes drooped down midway as well, and he was about to respond when a harsh light shattered the metaphoric glass of their intense moment. Both he and Raven quickly retreated, creating space between them.

Two cars; one expensive looking, and the other donning a futuristic appearance arrived and parked beside Raven's Stingray. A few seconds later, a bright green moped arrived and parked beside Jason's ride. Cyborg, Karen and Kori got out first, the two girls approaching them. Cyborg nodded in their direction before jogging to the back of his car to grab an old cooler he always kept there.

"Friend Raven! You should have told us you were leaving; I was briefly worried about your disappearance." Raven suddenly felt guilty for spontaneously leaving, especially Kori since they had agreed to travel together.

"Sorry, Kori. It was a spur of the moment kind of thing."

"I understand, friend Raven. Garfield did mention that he saw you two leaving together."

"Yeah, if it wasn't for me, we'd have been spending the night tearing the city down looking for you!" Garfield added in, but Cyborg interrupted before he could say more. Garfield tended to exaggerate sometimes.

"What matters is, we all ran into you two here. We were kinda expecting you guys to be hanging around here, anyways."

Cyborg spoke in a paternal manner, dropping the cooler on the ground beside them before setting down beside his girlfriend.

"Roy, Garth. Didn't expect you two to tag along." Jason said to the two approaching males, his head still slightly hazy and his throat dry.

"It got a bit boring after the band finished their set, anyway. Plus they ran out of beer." Garth stated and sat between Raven and Kori.

"Boring for _you_ maybe. But _I _was totally hitting it off with that chick in the blue dress." Roy grumbled but sat down between Jason and Garfield anyways, forming a circle. Garth rolled his eyes.

"Oh, _please._ You always think you're 'hitting it off' with everyone woman you talk to, Roy."

"Hey, not my fault you're unlucky with the ladies, fish breath."

"Please, friends. What is the expression, 'hitting it off' mean?" Kori asked, confusion evident in her tone. Garth turned towards her, a pleasant smile on his face and patiently explained it to the foreign woman. Cyborg started passing beers around to everyone, and Jason gulped down half the contents of his bottle in a minute. His throat recovering from the sudden dryness.

"Thanks, Vic. That really hit the spot there."

"Don't thank me, it was my girl's idea."

"What can I say, this _is_ the best spot in the city to drink a few."

"True, true."

Jason agreed before chugging down the remaining liquid in his beer and reaching out for another. The next hour was spent with them talking and drinking, with music from the speaker in Roy's car playing in the background. Roy, Garth, and Jason were in a separate crew from the gang, but they all retained their friendships despite competing against each other once in a while. Another hour passed, and when the last beer was quaffed down, they all started leaving one by one. Cyborg carried Garfield into the back seat of his car since he had passed out minutes ago, while Karen returned the cooler to the back. Roy was already starting up his Camaro while Garth, instead of riding with him, offered to drive the drunken Garfield's moped back to their base for them.

Raven pressed the buttons of her car keys to unlock her car, then helped Kori into the back seat to lie down since she had one too many beers. The foreign lady always did have a low tolerance for alcoholic drinks since they first met her. And that unfortunately did not change, as the years went by.

Jason mounted his motorcycle and proceeded to put on his helmet when Raven approached him, a piece of clothing in her arms.

"Here. You'll need this more than I do for the drive down." And she handed him the leather jacket she had been wearing earlier that evening. Jason glanced at the clothing, to her face and back again, then smiled.

"Nah, you keep it. It looks better on you, anyway."

Raven appeared slightly taken aback with this response, as he started the engine. She stepped back to give him space. A huge smirk spread across his face, before he pulled down the protective cover of his helmet, hand already clutching the throttle and took off. Raven could only look on ahead, his retreating figure already growing smaller and smaller as he descended down the mountain. She then put on the leather jacket, got in her car and drove back home.

/x

**A/N:** Thank you for the reviews and follows everyone! Chapter 3 will be up as soon as I finish writing it.

/x


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